


AU: Single Unit of Hope

by xenoshadel



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Mulan (1998) Fusion, Chrobin - Freeform, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-05
Updated: 2015-06-05
Packaged: 2018-04-02 22:50:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4076758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xenoshadel/pseuds/xenoshadel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired prompt: An AU where the characters are in the Movie Mulan (Ancient China), where the General’s son is Chrom and Robin is Mulan.</p><p>Robin hoped to make everyone proud should her contribution bring the army closer to victory...</p>
            </blockquote>





	AU: Single Unit of Hope

Hooves thudded the ground and the wind grabbed locks of silver hair as the woman rode through the forest. Brown eyes glanced around and noticed a beaten path, and she urged the horse to follow the trail with a careful hold on the reins. No one was chasing her, or so she hoped no one was after a quick look over her shoulder, but she chased after the only glimmer of hope within her reach: the army’s campground. Taking a detour would prevent anyone from recognizing her robes of purple silk, the layers long enough to hide the stolen pair of a soldier’s uniform. Robin knew her actions would bring shame upon her family and public ridicule to her should she ever be caught as a woman in the army, but if it meant having another person willing to fight against the Plegians, then she’ll gladly take the risk for her people.

She commanded the horse to slow down once she caught sight of the wooden fences of the campground. Jumping down to the ground, she unwrapped the bundle of clothes from her robe and smiled to herself.

“We made it, Khan. We’re here… and I’m ready,” she softly said. The horse whinnied happily and stepped back to guard Robin while she slipped behind a tree. Her chest was binded with white cloth and once the robes were discarded and the uniform proved to be a comfortable fit, all that was left was to tie her hair back into a tight bun. The woman silently thanked herself for having a decent amount of hair to begin with, and with the purple silk folded into the pouch of Khan’s saddle, she wrapped her arms around the horse’s neck in farewell.

“I don’t know when I’ll return, or if I actually will, but I thank you for accompanying me to this point,” Robin murmured. With a final sad look in her direction, the horse trotted away and the silent trees watched the dust settle with her. Turning her head towards the sounds of laughter and shouts, she took a deep breath and walked towards the fences.

Saying that she prepared herself for taking the role of a man would be a lie at the wide array of soldiers she saw. A group chortled over a particular brand of mead, a few men wrestled until they were covered in dust, and she caught a glimpse of the newer recruits as well. A ginger toying with a red lollipop, a tall man with unkempt hair and a half-eaten loaf of bread, a redhead with a large smile and thick accent; but all had the same tan and blue tunic with the symbol of the divine dragon stamped on the back. Robin squared her shoulders and lifted her head when she walked, her eyes staring straight ahead as she tried to avoid eye contact.

The man with the lollipop noticed her and smirked when she walked past him. “New guy, huh?”

Robin blinked and stopped to face him. “W-well—“ she paused to clear her throat and deepened her voice, “Is it that obvious?”

“You look like someone who would walk into a sweet shop with no idea what to take, so yes,” he chuckled. “Can’t blame you. All the new people from the morning are like that too.”

“Luckily enough, there’s plenty of food to go around!” The brunette with bread crumbs on his face walked over to them and smiled after brushing the crumbs off his tunic.

“Guess so. But hey, I’m Gaius and this is Munchy—“ the ginger began.

“It’s Stahl, please.”

“Sure thing, Munchy. Anyway, over there in the pretty blue tent is where you’ll find the captain if you need to know which direction your foot should face to get through this war.”

“Captain? You mean the general’s son?” Robin asked.

“Yup. Nice guy though, he won’t bite if you were late for being enrolled and whatnot.” Gaius leaned against a wooden post and nudged his head towards one of the soldiers in the distance before them. “On the bright side, there’s another way to get his attention.”

Glancing at the man Gaius gestured at, Robin saw a muscular man with his shirt wrapped around his waist and blonde hair tied back talking to an agitated swordsman. An uneasy feeling stirred inside her once he started to flex his arms, and Stahl tilted his head at her.

“Vaike isn’t all that bad, really,” he said reassuringly.

“Nah, but that’s still the thing.” Gaius turned to give Robin a mischievous smile. “Think you can handle Muscles over there?”

“You mean I have to fight him to get through?” Robin looked at him incredulously. “That can’t be part of the recruitment.”

Gaius shrugged a lazy shoulder. “Well it sure is entertaining to watch once he’s riled up. His skull is only great for breaking things anyway.”

“You’re one to talk, Gaius.” Having heard him from within earshot, Vaike strolled over to them with his arms folded over his chest. “You wouldn’t be able to run a mile without a lollie to save your hide.”

“And I thank the gods for all the sweets in the world.” The ginger grinned and fiddled with the bare stick of the lollipop between his fingers. The warrior scoffed and focused his attention on Robin, who shrank under his narrowed eyes.

“Well, new guy, ready for a warm up when the day is still young?”

“There’s been a mistake—Vaike, yes?—and I have no intention of fighting you,” Robin carefully said. “I, uh, already roughed a guy up on my way over here and just need to give my arms a breather still. You know how it is with us men.” Those that were near enough to listen gave her an odd look and she knotted her fingers together.

Vaike nodded his head in disbelief and was about to make a curt remark when the redhead in the crowd spoke up, “Young man too slow to fight little man like you. Gregor knows best.”

Turning to look at him, Vaike glared at Gregor and rolled his shoulders back as he walked towards him. “Too slow, huh? You want to say that again?!”

“Oh Gregor like challenge! Show Gregor what you got!”

The blonde clenched his jaw and charged at the tall man who blocked his incoming fist, and Vaike twisted around him to land a blow at his side. Gregor grunted and grinned broadly when he punched him hard enough to collide into another recruit, who also joined in on the fight. Robin stared at the growing fight with a horrified look on her face as more of the men fought each other and silently prayed that she won’t be pushed into the fight. Unfortunately for her, she was too late to make her exit and her prayer wasn’t answered when a burly man saw her and grabbed the collar of her tunic. She felt air beneath her boots and gave the man a timid smile, cursing herself for not being sneaky enough to slip away like Gaius and braced herself for whatever rush of pain she’ll feel. She sucked in a breath until she heard an angry shout over the yells of the brawling recruits.

“What is going on here?!”

Had it been an ordinary soldier, the fight would have continued without a second thought. But it was the commanding voice of the captain himself, who glared at the men when they fixed their attention to him. A chorus of ‘sorry, sir!’ swept over the crowd and the man holding Robin dropped her to the ground to salute the blue-haired man in charge. Robin collapsed on the earth with an _ooph!_ and glanced up at the captain, recognizing him to be the general’s famed son, Chrom. Blue eyes scanned the crowd and Chrom pursed his lips, feeling the presence of his bodyguard and adviser, Frederick, by his side. Even though the men before him were recruits, surely they knew how to behave better if they wanted to fight in a war against the Plegians? He breathed a low sigh and stepped forward to speak.

“I expected more from you than childish roughhousing. Save the fights for the enemy if you wanted to use your energy wisely. I’m sure you’ll do well to keep that in mind, whether you took a part in this or not.” He gave Vaike a cold look for a moment, who shuffled uncomfortably until Chrom looked at the rest of the men. “You know what you signed up for when I spoke to you all earlier, and I’m sure that—“ he paused when he noticed an unfamiliar head of silver hair on the ground.

 _Oh gods._ Robin held her breath when Chrom’s face scrunched in confusion and he walked towards her.

“I didn’t see you with the rest of the men earlier. Who might you be?”

“Er, Rob—Robin,” she stammered and cleared her throat, hoping that her impression of a masculine voice was convincing. She heard Gaius snicker in the background with another recruit and she bit the inside of her cheek when Chrom raised an eyebrow and Frederick squinted at her suspiciously.

“Your name is Robin?”

“Yeah. Well, my friends call me Robby, which also works. I’m the son of Vali—Validar. Yes, Validar.” She felt a wave of red wash over her face and she awkwardly laughed to hide her embarrassment, which seemed to deepen the crease on Chrom’s forehead. He slowly nodded and stretched his hand out to her.

“I didn’t know Validar had a son. Well, _Robin_ , if you were planning on laying there to sleep, there are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know,” he said, his lips lifting into a gentle smile. “Give me your hand. No warrior of mine will be on the ground if I’m here to watch over all of you.”

Robin blinked in surprise and once she took his hand, a small gasp escaped from her when Chrom pulled her up and brought her close to him, close enough to see the clear shine of his blue eyes and how his mouth curled into a reassuring smile. She quickly stepped back to mutter her gratitude and the shuffling of the recruits quieted when they directed their eyes towards the captain. Despite the few that had bruises deepening in color and a couple of broken teeth, they looked formidable and willing to fight, to learn under his leadership, and the thought alone gave Chrom the hope that perhaps, by some fraction, they will win against the Plegians.

“Men, despite your behavior just a few moments ago, know that my faith in you remains unshakable. Whether you joined this morning or a few weeks ago, you will always have my gratitude for choosing to fight for our home and land. I strive to train you until you’ll march with confidence and hope for the future. When we are victorious, it won’t be because of me, but because of _you_ for being here. Let us make that march soon, and we’ll show Gangrel the might of Ylisse’s finest soldiers.”

The troops exploded in cheers and shouts of agreement once Chrom finished speaking. Robin felt the determination in his words and shared that hope where, by that little fraction as well, she could also make a difference in bringing them to that march.

***

Lances were thrown to wooden posts and climbed on to reach an apple lodged to an arrow at the very top. Swords scraped off of each other in numerous sparring sessions and a daring few tried to climb up the post of fate: bearing two weights and using nothing but the willpower and strength of the individual, one would truly be deemed an honorary warrior of hope if they climbed up to grab the patient arrow on top. Robin watched how Gaius scrambled his way up to the halfway mark and slid down when he reached the point where the sugar in his system couldn’t support him any further, and how Vaike heaved himself up one long stride at a time only to punch the post in frustration when he was brought to the ground again. Many tried to test the extent of their strength, gritting their teeth in the process when the weights pulled them down as they tried to prevent gravity from getting to the best of them, but all earned a nod of approval from the captain.

Robin had tried to climb up the post one evening, but like the others, she slid down the post and won splinters on her tunic to brush off in discontent. She heard the heavy footsteps of Chrom and turned her head to see him walking towards her, the brand on his shoulder seeming to shine with the setting sun.

“If you’re here to laugh, then feel free,” Robin sighed. “I wouldn’t blame you anyway.”

“Laugh at your effort? I wouldn’t be an effective captain if that was the case,” Chrom chuckled and picked up the weights that laid unceremoniously on the ground, courtesy of the woman’s silent frustration. “You did try, and that’s what matters to me.”

“Tried and only to end up like everyone else: annoyed and ready to stab a sword in a bag of rice. I guess that’s one thing we would all have in common.”

Chrom shook his head, grinning at her. “That’s one way to be optimistic. But you know, I believe that you’ll be the first to get to that arrow.”

Robin gave him an odd look and tried to see if those blue eyes were secretly mocking her, only to see nothing but sincerity shining back at her. “You truly think scrawny ol’ me would be able to get the arrow on top? You have more faith in me than Vaike or Kellam, or even Virion?”

“The only person who needs to believe in you is _you_ , Robin,” Chrom explained. “And if you don’t believe in yourself, then someone has to, and I wouldn’t be standing here to lead you all if I didn’t believe in my troops, including you. So yes, I believe that you can get that arrow one day before everyone else because you need to know that you can and I _know_ that you can.”

A small smile tugged on Robin’s lips and she dipped her head gratefully. “I’ll keep your words in mind, captain.”

“Are we not comrades as well? Chrom is just fine,” he laughed and handed her the weights. “Let’s see you try again if you’re up for another round.”

As if saying no to the captain was an option if she caught the distant shadow of Frederick by a tent. Nodding to him, Robin tied the weights around the leather loops of her sash and narrowed her eyes at the arrow. The white feathers appeared red from the peaking sun that also waited to see her performance, and with a sturdy grip on the wood, she began to climb. Her previous attempt left her arms weary from the effort, but somehow a particular pair of blue eyes pushed her to keep moving. The arrow remained far from reach when she felt the weights pull her aching body down, but being able to see it a few strides closer brought Chrom’s words to her ears again, and she looked up to see him smile in approval at her when she was standing on the ground again.

“A little bit of faith goes a long way, Robin. I’ll look forward to the day where I see you on top rather than on the ground,” he said. He bowed his head in farewell and turned his back to walk away, the red sun giving his hair a captivating shine as the distance grew between them.

Brown eyes lingered on the head of blue and Robin shook her head when she realized how long she watched him trail away. The weights were piled neatly on top of each other and she clenched her hands in determination. Bringing herself into a man’s world was an experience unlike any other, that she was sure of, but with the grit and her love for the kingdom… she hoped to do the people proud should her contribution bring the army closer to victory.

***

Swords and lances bore longer and deeper scratches from their heavy usage and with the morning runs around the perimeter of the camp, the weeks passed like greedy hands emptying a bag of gold. What was once a wooden stick in her hands was a steel sword, and Robin readied herself in a fighting stance against Stahl. He gave her a reassuring smile and began the first session of the spar.

_Clang! Clang!_

Leather boots dug into the dirt to keep the woman from being pushed away against the force of Stahl’s sword on hers. Gritting her teeth, Robin used her sword as leverage to twist around him and slash at his side, meeting nothing but air when he side-stepped and made his move of offense. They circled and blocked, ducked and slashed, and the crowd around them grew as they cheered for the dueling pair. Stahl made a miscalculated step after recovering from a vertical block and Robin used it to her advantage by moving to the opposite direction of his step and swiftly bringing the blunt side of her sword near his neck. He widened his eyes in surprise and Robin smirked at him when she lowered her sword.

“Checkmate,” she said, and the observers around them burst into applause.

The brunette grinned and Robin felt a heavy hand clamped on her shoulder, the sound of Vaike’s voice booming in her ears. “Nice going, Robby! Even the Vaike is impressed!”

She winced at her throbbing shoulder and chuckled, “Well isn’t this a rare sight, but thanks, Vaike.”

“Don’t get used to it, Bubbles, but congrats,” Gaius said, walking up to her and handing her a lollipop. Robin gratefully took it and shared a smile with the rest of the troops. A white cape and head of blue hair caught her attention, but the moment was short-lived when a soldier blocked her view. She couldn’t stop her face from spreading into a grin though, and that was when she realized how much she had grown in strength and dedication.

The troops around her were comrades, the targets on the other side of the fields had perfect bulls-eyes from her lance throws, and even the mess tent became a hearty place for laughter and talks of a brighter future. The captain himself even invited Robin to sit with him and Frederick, discussing battle tactics and what the best approach would be when the Plegians will begin their attack. They laughed and they ran around the campground together, and Chrom always took the time to see how far she went up the post of fate. The climbs were faster, more confident with each stride she took, and Chrom’s smile only grew as she got closer to the arrow every day.

“You make a better man than anyone I had ever known, Robin,” he had said when she was a foot away from the arrow. “And I am thankful for you being here and for being my closest friend.”

Robin only smiled and restated his words to her, the words where his faith in her kept her grounded after each passing day, and they shared another smile when she piled the weights neatly on top of each other.

She hadn’t thought much about the beating of her heart whenever she caught him watching her during a training session or nodding in approval at her swordsmanship. There was a day where she trained with Gaius, her arms now strong enough to wield heavier swords and her agility high enough to duck from his quick movements, and Chrom watched her when he was walking towards his tent. He didn’t realize how focused he was on her offense until he walked straight into a post. He flushed in embarrassment and awkwardly waved at Robin when she noticed him, quickly turning towards his tent and mentally cursing himself for not avoiding the post. Robin only grinned at the sight and carried on with the session, mainly to try wiping the smug look off of Gaius’s face.

The days continued to pass, and one morning when Chrom strolled towards the post of fate with his eyes on a scroll, a _thwip!_ sound caught his ears and a familiar arrow was stuck to the ground near his boots. He looked up to find a large smile and silver hair on top of the post, waving at him with the weights dangling on her sash. The rest of the troops cheered on the ground, and his face split into a grin and he joined in on the applause.

They shared a smile, one that remained when they laughed at dinnertime, when they sparred against each other, and even when they looked at the horizon on their horses. Standing in the front lines, seeing the shadows of the Plegians moving towards them like a black fog, Robin turned her head to look at Chrom. His eyes were set and his sword gleamed at his side, but when he met her gaze, he gave her that familiar smile. They made it this far, and what they hoped to be the beginning of a new future for their homes was within their grasp. With a shared nod and final shout to the troops, they charged into battle with their swords raised high.

Never before had the particular colors of blue and silver worked wondrously when combined as a single unit of hope.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Tumblr user [@darklordbreadcat](http://darklordbreadcat.tumblr.com/) for having this idea of an AU! This was pretty fun to write and I appreciate all of those who took the time to read this! This work can also be found on my Tumblr [@xenoshadel](http://xenoshadel.tumblr.com/). I also have a [ko-fi page](http://ko-fi.com/A35327K1/) if anyone ever wants to leave me a tip!


End file.
